The New Metropolitan Police Branch 82 (Japan 1998)

Definitely a guilty pleasure. This video takes the worn out
"Zero Woman"
genre, marries it with the tiresome cop buddy formula, and somehow doesn't manage
to suck. Mika and Rin are female police investigators who have been assigned
to keep an eye on a recently released prisoner and make sure he doesn't try to
leave the country. Mika is a tough, serious minded bitch, while Rin is a loud,
obnoxious chick with a overly healthy interest in sex and rap music (ugh). Naturally,
they can't stand working with each other, but the energetic chemistry between them
is so genuine that it doesn't come off as being too cliché. Of course, things
go all to hell, and when the girls are pulled off the case they decide to
investigate on their own. Rin manages to crack the case with her keen sense
of smell, but gets captured in the process. Mika manages to track her down to
an abandoned building and rescues Rin through superior firepower.

It's not as good as the original
"Metropolitan Police Branch 82" (1995)
in terms of
content and execution, and it seems to be more of a remake or alternate retelling
than anything else. Mika and Rin are completely different characters, and there's
no evidence of them having any past history with each other. A confusing approach,
but an easy way to cash in on an established franchise.

It's enjoyable voyeuristic fluff and the girls are a lot of fun to watch. Super
sexy Chieko Shiratori ("Zero Woman 6" (1998) )
is simply amazing to behold, and she handles
her gun and herself with supreme confidence and defiant authority. Sure, the action
scenes are pretty pathetic, but they're sprinkled with brief moments of true inspiration
throughout. Also typical of the genre, there's a fair helping of playful sex and nudity,
and idiot males who drop their guns at the first sight of a naked woman. Still, despite the
distasteful trappings of the erotic thriller genre, the strength of the characters
and the above average production values make this a fun girls 'n' guns romp.